Project Title: “Scholarship Support for Children in Need”

 Implementing NPO: Victory School Foundation, Albania.

 Project Duration: September 2005 – August 2008.

About Us:

Victory School Foundation, Albania, was created in 1997. As a Non-Profit Organization, its scope is to teach foreign languages and computer skills, thus giving the people a chance to integrate in the contemporary work market.

For this reason we have opened a Foreign Languages and Computer Centre in Lushnja town, Albania, where we offer courses of different levels, for people of different ages, mainly children and young people.

Our vision is

1. To assist the community of Lushnja town by raising their professional level through our courses, thus giving them the skills needed to find a job.

2. To offer our English and Computer courses to the unemployed, and people living in the verge of, or under, poverty level in Lushnja, by supporting them through scholarships (covering their tuition expenses), thus giving them a chance to integrate in the work market, and a chance for a better life.

Lushnja is an average-sized town, and at least 50 percent of the population lives near the official poverty level. At present, Computer and/or Foreign Language skills (especially English) are needed for diverse job positions, ranging from waiters, secretaries, to those job positions in companies that require such skills.

Since the creation of the Foundation, and the first opening of Foreign Languages (mainly English) and Computer courses, many children and young people have approached our courses, who have not been able to afford paying for the courses as they come from poor families, divorced parents, and orphan background.

Many children in Lushnja are deprived nowadays from the possibility of integrating themselves in the society because of their poverty, and will in later years constitute a group susceptible to trafficking, prostitution, and begging on the streets. Lacking a chance to become someone in life, or simply earn a living, they are also susceptible to involvement in all sorts of petty and hard crimes.

For this reason, we have supported as many children and young people as we could by offering to pay for part/all of their course expenses throughout their entire tuition.

English courses at our Centre are taught for a duration of 3 years, from the Starter to the Advanced level. At present a Foreign Language and Computer Centre, we are supporting 90 students who come from poor families, or with divorced parents, and especially, orphans, who are the most susceptible group to fall prey of beggary, prostitution, trafficking, and even organ trafficking.

 Until now, the Foundation has covered a part of their cost, such as

• purchase of books,

• payment of part of their tuition fees and

• the tuition fee that needs to be paid to the teacher for each of the students.

 Impact in the community:

This is one of the reasons the Lushnja community has come to appreciate our work and have come to see in us good ethics, professionalism, and real care for those in need. They have come to realize that our objective is not simply teaching foreign languages on certain tuition fees, but also to actively support the tuition of those who cannot afford to pay, but who have a true desire to learn and succeed.

  Our plan is to distribute this project to all those organizations, or donors, who would like to support this project to continue our service to the community, and especially to the poor and orphan children, who really need our assistance and loving social care.

Our Foundation believes that poor children and orphans do not need simply alms, but a helping hand and a chance in life, which they can use to integrate themselves fully in the society. They need the skills to find a job, and to know that they can make it in a competitive world full of possibilities and chances. That is why we have come up with this project.

Assist us in giving these children a supporting hand. Assist us in giving our children and orphans a chance to survive, and even excel in life.